MANHATTAN -- Veterinarians at Kansas State University's College of Veterinary
Medicine say that people trying to protect their puppies by vaccinating them
against certain diseases could be doing more harm than good.

The vaccine for leptospirosis, for example, used to be a regular on the list
of vaccinations given to puppies, but the risks of the vaccine have begun to
outweigh the benefits.

Leptospirosis is an infection caused by a bacteria found in the droppings of
animals, including rats, mice and cattle. The bacteria is contracted orally,
most often from drinking contaminated water. It can be passed from one animal to
another.

Alan Brightman, professor of clinical sciences, said leptospirosis is a
devastating disease that destroys internal organs, often causing kidney failure
or liver disease. It is not found often anymore, though.

State and local laws require that dogs be vaccinated against rabies, which
cannot be done before the dog is 12 weeks old. K-State's canine vaccination
protocol dictates that puppies receive the distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza
and parvovirus vaccinations. These vaccines often are administered together in a
"cocktail." Brightman said these are given to puppies at least six
weeks of age and are repeated every three to four weeks until 16 weeks of age to
make sure they take effect. K-State veterinarians do not recommend giving the
leptospirosis, coronavirus or lyme disease vaccinations.

According to Bill Fortney, assistant professor of clinical sciences, it is
not uncommon for dogs to have a reaction to vaccines, causing other difficulties
including death. One of the problems with the leptospirosis vaccine is that it
causes more reactions than the others.

Fortney cited the following reasons for not administering the leptospirosis
vaccine to puppies:

* Puppies sometimes have reactions to vaccines and there are more reactions
to the leptospirosis vaccine than most others.